Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-12-09 i Cape Argus

Getting the salary you deserve isn’t easy - but preparation, timing, and clear evidence can make all the difference in end-of-year reviews. Rising costs and financial pressures mean many are feeling the pinch in their pay. Research shows that nearly half of millennials and Gen Z professionals don’t feel financially secure, while more than half live paycheck to paycheck. 1. Choose the right moment Timing is everything when approaching your manager about a pay increase. ● Consider company context: If your organisation is undergoing redundancies or a pay freeze, it may not be the best time to ask. ● Look for strategic opportunities: After a successful project, an annual review, or a key achievement can make your case stronger. ● Schedule the meeting: Send a short email first to ensure…

A FOUR-YEAR girl from Stellenbosch has been hospitalised after she was struck in crossfire of a gang-related shooting in Cloetesville on Sunday night. Theolita Jooste, the mother of four-year-old Leah Jooste, said that the bullet travelled from the neck to the eye. Leah was shot while playing outside when she was caught in the middle of a shooting in North End Street. A boy of seven was struck in the arm and an adult man was shot in the foot when two assailants got out of a silver VW Polo and opened fire. Leah’s 32-year-old mother is grateful that her daughter is in a stable condition. She is awaiting the doctors’ decision on treatment. Jooste said: “She was playing outside and there were a whole lot of children in the…

ANC employees were filled with fear, annoyance, and desperation yesterday as they staged a picket outside the party’s 5th National General Council (NGC) in Boksburg. They warned that their families might have a difficult Christmas as a result of unpaid and persistently delayed salaries. Collen Malatji, the president of the Youth League, demanded immediate accountability from the Treasurer-General and top leadership, demonstrating their frustration with the ANC’s highest office-bearers. ANC employees, some of whom have gone months without pay, gathered at the gates of Birchwood Hotel holding placards and chanting for the “right thing”. For many, the crisis has grown deeper than late salaries, it has become a matter of survival. “We’re going to hold everyone accountable,” Malatji said in a fiery address. “Why are the workers of the ANC…

The unfortunate use of the word “monkeys” at a police parade during a conversation with one of her colleagues landed a police captain in deep trouble, as it was perceived as being racist towards her fellow colleagues. Captain Henrietta du Preez was the acting Visible Police (Vispol) Support Head at the Joza Police Station in the Eastern Cape and conducted a parade in December 2020. In response to a concern raised by warrant officer Mbokodi, one of the officers on parade about work vehicles, Du Preez indicated that she was unprepared to take responsibility for crime prevention vehicles, which were under the command of Captain Manona, another colleague. In her version, she used the “innocent expression” of “If you pick up the monkey, you need to feed it… If you…

Cape Town owned the spotlight on Saturday night as the V&A Waterfront became the heartbeat of global street culture for the Fujifilm Instax Undisputed Breaking World Championship. Breakers from across the world converged on the Mother City for a night packed with high-pressure battles, heavy footwork and the unmistakable pulse of hip hop. Project lead Tyrone van den Meer said bringing the event back to Cape Town was an easy call. “After the success of our first event in Cape Town earlier this year, there was no doubt we would return to the Mother City,” he said. His words underscored the city’s growing reputation as a home for global breaking. Japan’s Hiro10 delivered one of the standout performances of the night. Explosive, sharp and composed under pressure, he cut…

AS THE festive season approaches, many people are getting ready to celebrate by planning their gift lists, their menus and the colour scheme for their dinner table. On the other end of the same coin, lies the lives of the unemployed. The one’s who will be declining dinner invites because they can’t afford a gift for everyone. These are the guys that won’t attend your bring and share lunches because they don’t have anything to bring along with them. These unemployed people are currently reading this column, dreading December because even though they have every reason to have the opportunity to unwind just like everyone else, they can’t because they are too concerned about work and about the New Year that lies ahead. Being unemployed unlocks a very different door…

An erstwhile giant has lost its way. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), launched in Durban on December 1, 1985, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Its formation represented a consolidation of fragmented unions into a single organisation that drove industrial action and broader societal demands. The federation that once made the apartheid regime and bosses tremble now appears weakened by internal rivalries, fragmentation, and cooptation. Having drawn on the banned South African Congress of Trade Unions (Sactu), as well as the independent unions that emerged after the 1973 Durban strikes, Cosatu united a broad range of workers across industry, race, and gender. It gave the working class the strength to influence national politics through consistent organisation, clear ideological direction, and coordinated campaigns that changed the balance of forces…

South Africa’s legendary striker Shaun Bartlett has reiterated South Korea’s strength will pose a greater challenge than the more-fancied Mexico at the 2026 Fifa World Cup for the nation. The former Bafana Bafana player, revered for his contributions to the national team’s success, is urging the team to prepare for a tough encounter against the Koreans. At 53-year old, Bartlett remains an iconic figure in South African football history, with a remarkable tally of 29 goals in 74 appearances, making him the second-highest scorer for his country. He played a pivotal role in helping South Africa clinch the African Nations Cup in 1996. He also made a memorable impact at the 1998 Fifa World Cup, becoming the first South African player to score a brace in a World Cup match,…

Your bonus has finally hit your account. While Mr. Sars has already devoured some of it, you’re eager to hit the mall and share the rest with Ms. Retail, boosting your KeDezemba aura points with a new fit or two. But before you join the masses partaking in this season’s Conspicuous Consumerism, pause a minute. There are ways you can maximise a cash windfall – like a bonus or thirteenth check – that will move you closer to your financial dreams, instead of spending it all in one go on something that won’t have any future financial benefit. As an example, let’s say you get a R10 000 bonus. 1. Use it to crush high-interest debt Before you treat yourself, consider that the quickest return you’ll ever get on…

After The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: South Africa smashed Showmax records earlier this year, the streamer has doubled down on the glamour, the chaos, and the continent-spanning drama with The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa. This time, some of Africa’s most iconic housewives are jetting off together and if you thought one franchise was spicy, try putting Durban, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, and Abuja in the same villa. Representing Durban are Annie Mthembu, Angel Ndlela, and Jojo Robinson. Johannesburg brings the unforgettable Christall Kay and “Madam” Evodia Mogase, while Nairobi enters the chat via Dr Catherine Masitsa and Zena Nyambu. Rounding things off in true Naija glamour are Princess Jecoco from Abuja and Mariam Timmer from Lagos. Two episodes in, the ladies are already delivering the kind of first-impression…

Lawyers representing suspended Gauteng’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Andrew Chauke have accused National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi of linking him to state capture without any evidence. The accusation came during Batohi’s testimony at the Nkabinde Inquiry yesterday, which is probing Chauke’s fitness to hold office following a complaint lodged by Batohi herself. The inquiry focuses on two controversial cases: the racketeering prosecution of Major-General Johan Booysen and members of the Cato Manor Organised Crime Unit, and the decision to discontinue murder charges against former crime intelligence head, Lieutenant General Richard Mdluli. Testifying before the inquiry, Batohi was questioned by Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi about her repeated references to state capture in the context of her actions involving Chauke. Batohi admitted that she had no personal knowledge…

MOTHERS on the Cape Flats have opened up about their heartbreaking battles with family members addicted to drugs. In recognition of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, Heideveld Library dedicated this year’s programme to exploring the impact of substance abuse within family homes – a challenge that continues to affect daily life in the community. To spark conversation and reflection, the library hosted a talk with Sylvia Walker from Lakeside, author of Dealing in Death: Ellen Pakkies and a Community’s Struggle with Tik. The event last Wednesday invited residents to explore how drugs continue to shape families and communities. Walker also reflected on the enduring relevance of her book published more than a decade ago in 2010. Her core message focused on the…

The validity period for driving licences in South Africa is set to increase from five years to eight, in a long-mooted move that has been welcomed by motorists and lobby groups. Director-General Mathabatha Mokonyana confirmed this last week while briefing Parliament’s Select Committee on Public Infrastructure. “We have just concluded, although it took a little bit of time, the issue around extending the validity period of the driver’s licence card from five to eight years,” he told the committee. The decision was made following a detailed assessment, which found that South Africans favour a longer validity period. While the Department of Transport has confirmed the move, its spokesperson Collen Msibi said the cost-benefit analysis has not been completed yet. However, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says the government should…

David Miller has been an ever-present figure in the Proteas’ white-ball middle-order for the best part of 15 years. Seldom has the southpaw needed to look over his shoulder at any contenders for his place. This is backed up by the fact that he is the most capped Protea in T20Is, and boasts the enviable record as the second highest run-scorer in the shortest format for the national team. Yet, there was a sense of nervousness, not seen since his debut all the way back in 2010, prevalent when Miller addressed the media ahead of the five-match T20I series against India, starting in Cuttack today. “It has been forever,” Miller said. “I think my last game was a ICC Champions Trophy earlier in the year, so it's been a long…

South Africa is confronting a growing crisis: dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke-related cognitive decline are rising sharply, exposing gaps in public awareness and leaving families financially unprepared for the long-term care that follows, according to Ricardo Teixeira, managing director of BDO Wealth. He says Alzheimer’s South Africa estimates that more than 190,000 South Africans are currently living with dementia – a figure expected to climb steeply as the population ages. This mirrors global trends, where someone develops dementia every three seconds, with the fastest growth occurring in developing regions. According to Teixeira, Stroke remains a major driver of cognitive decline locally. Research published in BMC Public Health shows that nearly 60% of stroke survivors in sub-Saharan Africa experience cognitive impairment, affecting memory, reasoning and decision-making abilities.“We regularly see people trying…

The Supreme Court of Appeal has ordered a new inquest – a public hearing with oral evidence – into the death of Theresa Wampach-Todd, who in 2016 fell to her death from a cliff in the Cederberg Mountains in the Western Cape. Her husband Sean Todd was implicated in his wife’s death following a judgment by the Clanwilliam Magistrate’s Court. The magistrate made this finding without hearing any oral evidence during the inquest. Todd took the decision of the magistrate on review to the Western Cape High Court. He sought an order reviewing and setting aside the magistrate’s finding and having it substituted with a finding that it had not been established that the Wampach-Todd’s death was brought about by any act or omission prima facie involving or amounting to…

Digital group chats, once harmless spaces for school chatter and memes, are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for co-ordinated online harassment among South African teens. Experts warn that WhatsApp-driven echo chambers, zero-rated data bundles and poorly moderated platforms are fuelling a new “pack mentality” that turns ordinary peer conflict into collective digital aggression. Rorke Wilson, an associate at The Digital Law Company, says these online mobs form quickly and naturally inside high-school ecosystems. “When we get these digital mobs, when it happens in high schools, it sort of just generates organically in the same way that teenagers can be horrible to each other,” he said. Wilson says that while much of this behaviour is child-on-child bullying, some cases involve adults exploiting teens online. He referenced one of the world’s most high-profile…

When a comrade reminded me recently, I picked up Colleen Lombard’s book, To the Moon and Back: A Detention Memoir. Curious at first, I put it down changed. Some memoirs are loud, filled with slogans, posturing, and the convenient heroism of hindsight. Colleen’s voice is different. It is calm, deliberate, honest. She writes like someone speaking late at night, when the world is quiet and the truth can finally breathe. There is no bitterness. No need for embellishment. Just clarity, pain, and grace. Colleen chose the hard path. And she walked it with dignity. Born in Wynberg in 1950, she did not grow up around dramatic political theory or revolutionary seminar rooms. She came from the everyday world of school halls, church pews, and union offices. Her entry into activism…

Dream sporting debuts do not come much better than that of Sonwabo Sokoyi, who was a last-minute addition to the Blitzboks squad for the Cape Town Sevens, ending up with a try in the final against Argentina as the South Africans became back-to-back champions. Sokoyi, a product of Grey College, joined the squad when Mfundo Ndhlovu withdrew to take up an offer from a United Rugby Championship team. The 23-year-old scored two tries as a replacement in the match against Great Britain, while his try in the final changed the course of the game. The Blitzboks were struggling at 7-19 early in the second half when Sokoyi got the ball and let his feet do the talking. “We actually spoke about this try just before the final,” Sokoyi told News24.…

South African football has rarely felt as alive as it did in 2025. After years spent searching for identity, consistency and belief, Bafana Bafana finally rediscovered their pulse — and, in doing so, reignited the pride of a nation. An unbeaten run stretching across the entire calendar year, qualification for both AFCON and the Fifa World Cup, and a surge of promise from the junior national teams signalled a long-awaited revival. For the first time in a generation, South Africa can look ahead with genuine optimism, convinced that its “football nation” spirit has returned. BAFANA BAFANA Twenty-five games unbeaten — and counting. Bafana Bafana have had a calendar year for ages, so far. They didn’t only create their own fortunes; they also left endearing marks for generations to follow. It…